Brussels, 27 April 2021/OACPS: Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, H.E. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti was invited to one of the first in-person meetings of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Working Group of the European Council, which comprises representatives of all 27 Permanent Representations of the European Union (EU) Member States, members of the European Commission (EC), and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to make a presentation themed, “The OACPS in a globalised world”.

During his presentation, Secretary-General Chikoti addressed three main areas of: the entry-into-force of the revised Georgetown Agreement and its implications for the operations of the organisation; the new OACPS-EU Partnership Agreement which was intialled by the OACPS and EU Chief Negotiators on 15 April 2021, and the OACPS of the future, and its role on the international scene.

Secretary-General Chikoti spoke of the deepening and further strengthening of the OACPS’ long-standing partnership with the EU, “…expanded OACPS-EU cooperation on global issues and addressing the challenges affecting the OACPS and EU in miltilateral fora, including global governance and solidarity, will guide our future partnership and our role on the international scene”.

Secretary-General Chikoti also outlined his main areas of focus in the coming year, which included addressing, in a sustainable manner, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Members of the OACPS and the signing and operationalisation of the new OACPS Partnership Agreement.

The OACPS Secretary-General, the first to be elected from a Lusophone country, was pleased to be invited to address the EU organs during a meeting under the Presidency of Portugal of the European Council.